Temperature control assembly for substrate processing apparatus and method of using same

ABSTRACT

Exemplary embodiments of the disclosure provide improved reactor systems, assemblies, and methods for controlling a temperature within the reactor system, such as a temperature of a gas supply unit. Exemplary systems and methods employ an exhaust unit to cause movement of a fluid over a portion of the gas supply unit to better control the temperature of the gas supply unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/917,859 filed Jun. 30, 2020 titled TEMPERATURECONTROL ASSEMBLY FOR SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF USINGSAME; which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 62/870,134, filed on Jul. 3, 2019, titled TEMPERATURE CONTROLASSEMBLY FOR SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF USING SAME,the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present disclosure generally relates to gas-phase apparatus,assemblies, systems, and methods. More particularly, the disclosurerelates to apparatus, assemblies, and systems that include a gas supplyunit and to methods of using the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Gas-phase reactors, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD),plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and the likecan be used for a variety of applications, including cleaning,depositing and etching materials on a substrate surface. For example,gas-phase reactors can be used to clean, deposit and/or etch layers on asubstrate to form semiconductor devices, flat panel display devices,photovoltaic devices, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and thelike.

A typical gas-phase reactor system includes a reactor including areaction chamber, one or more precursor and/or reactant gas sourcesfluidly coupled to the reaction chamber, one or more carrier and/orpurge gas sources fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber, a gas supplyunit to distribute gas within the reaction chamber, and an exhaustsource fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber.

FIG. 1(a) illustrates a cross-sectional view, taken along direction “A”in FIG. 1(b), of a reactor 100 including a gas supply unit 102. FIG.1(b) illustrates a top view of gas supply unit 102. Reactor 100 alsoincludes an RF rod 104, a gas curtain (GC) 106, a substrate support 108,an exhaust duct 110, a top lid 112, a flow control ring 114, a flowcontrol ring mount 116, a heater 118, a gas inlet 120, a reaction space122, an exhaust path 124, a gas flow channel 126, an insulator 128, ashield cover unit 130, and an insulator 132.

During operation of reactor 100, a gas is supplied to a substrate (notillustrated) mounted on substrate support 108 through gas inlet 120 togas flow channel 126 to gas supply unit 102. Gas supply unit 102 can bea showerhead device, as illustrated. Gas curtain 106 is mounted on gassupply unit 102 and gas flow channel 126 is formed between gas curtain106 and gas supply unit 102. A gas flow channel 126 provides a space tospread gas uniformly to gas supply unit 102. Gas flows into a reactionspace 122 via a gas inlet 120, gas curtain 114 and a gas supply unit102, and is exhausted to exhaust path 124 via a gap formed betweenexhaust duct 110 and flow control ring 114. A gas may be exhaustedupwardly and/or downwardly, depending on a location of exhaust port (notillustrated).

Gas curtain 106 and a gas supply unit 102 are typically made ofconducting materials, such as metal, and gas curtain 106 is directlymounted on gas supply unit 102. Insulator 128 is provided between gassupply unit 102 and a shield cover unit 130. Another insulator 132 isdisposed between gas inlet 120 and gas curtain 106. Insulators 128 and132 are made of non-conducting materials, e.g., ceramics, such as Al₂O₃,and prevent or mitigate RF power from leaking from gas supply unit 102to shield cover unit 130 and to gas inlet 120. Shield cover unit 130 isplaced at the top of reactor 100 to cover a recessed top portion of gassupply unit 102 and gas curtain 106. Shield cover unit 130 may beprovided for the safety of workers during a plasma process. Shield coverunit 130 may be selectively attached to reactor 100 and detached fromreactor 100. Shield cover unit 130 may include a metal-containingmaterial. For example, shield cover unit 130 may include aluminum (Al).Shield cover unit 130 may prevent the diffusion of RF power to theatmosphere.

Substrate support 108 may be a heating block including heating elementstherein. Heat from substrate support 108 can be radiated to gas supplyunit 102 and to gas curtain 106, since gas supply unit 102 is formed ofmetal, gas curtain 106 is formed of metal, and gas curtain 106 isdirectly in contact with gas supply unit 102.

As illustrated in FIG. 1(b), gas supply unit 102 can include one or moreRF rods 104 and/or heaters 118. RF rod 104 delivers RF power from an RFgenerator (not illustrated) to a gas supply unit 102. Gas supply unit102, which can be metallic, can act as an electrode for plasma process.Heater 118 supplies heat to gas supply unit 102, and can be used to heatgas supply unit 102 to a set temperature. Heater 118 can be a rod-typeheater or a cartridge heater to be inserted into a gas supply unit 102.As illustrated in FIG. 1(b), a plurality of RF rods 104 and heaters 118can be provided for more uniform RF power delivery to gas supply unit102 and heating of gas supply unit 102. At high temperature process,such as 550° C., for example, a temperature of gas supply unit 102 isheated by heaters 118 to a temperature lower than a decompositiontemperature of source molecules—i.e., a precursor—for example, about200° C. But, during processing, an actual temperature of gas supply unit102 is often higher than a set temperature, because heat from a heatingblock 108 is radiated to a gas supply unit 102. A difference between settemperature and actual temperature of gas supply unit 102 can becomemore pronounced at higher process temperatures. As a result, source(e.g., precursor) molecules can undesirably decompose before they reacha substrate, leading to incomplete process or undesirable processresults. The higher temperature also raises the risk of burn and fireand puts more thermal budget on chamber parts, leading to shorterlifetime of the parts.

Accordingly, improved apparatus, assemblies, systems, and methods aredesired. In particular, apparatus, assemblies, systems, and methods thatprovide improved temperature control, particularly for a gas supplyunit, are desired.

Any discussion of problems and solutions set forth in this section hasbeen included in this disclosure solely for the purposes of providing acontext for the present disclosure, and should not be taken as anadmission that any or all of the discussion was known at the time theinvention was made.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to reactor systems,components thereof, and to methods of using the reactor systems andcomponents. While the ways in which various embodiments of the presentdisclosure address drawbacks of prior methods and systems are discussedin more detail below, in general, exemplary embodiments of thedisclosure provide improved systems, assemblies, and methods forcontrolling a temperature within the reactor system, such as atemperature of a gas supply unit.

In accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure, anassembly includes a gas supply unit, a gas curtain mounted on a gassupply unit, an insulator overlying the gas supply unit, a shield coveroverlying the insulator, and an exhaust unit fluidly coupled to a regionbetween the gas curtain and the shield cover. The assembly can furtherinclude a gas inlet that extends through a part of a stacked structurecomprising the gas curtain and the shield cover. The gas inlet caninclude a first portion and a second portion, wherein the second portioncomprises non-conductive material, and wherein the second portion isreceived by the gas curtain. The gas curtain can include a recessedportion and a plurality of pins arranged on the recessed portion. Thepins can be in a variety of configurations and shapes, including columnshaped and/or cylinder shaped. Additionally or alternatively, the pinscan include a hollow space to provide additional surface area. Theheight of each of the pins can be such that the height does not extendbeyond a top surface of the gas supply unit. A spacing between theplurality of pins can be substantially constant in a direction (e.g.,radial direction) from a center of the recessed portion to a peripheryof the recessed portion. The insulator can include a plurality ofthrough holes in a lateral direction. The shield cover can include aplurality of holes in a vertical direction, a plurality of holes in alateral direction, or both. The exhaust unit, such as a variable-speedfan, can exhaust fluid from a recessed portion of the gas curtain.

In accordance with at least one other embodiment of the disclosure, amethod of controlling a temperature of an assembly, such as the assemblydescribed above or elsewhere herein, is disclosed. An exemplary methodincludes providing an assembly and causing fluid to move over a surfaceof a gas curtain. The assembly can include a gas supply unit, the gascurtain mounted on a gas supply unit, an insulator overlying the gassupply unit, a shield cover overlying the insulator, and an exhaust unitconnected to a part of the shield cover. The exhaust unit, such as avariable-speed fan, can be used to cause the fluid to move over thesurface of the gas curtain—e.g., to provide convective cooling to thesurface of the gas curtain. Exemplary methods can further include a stepof measuring a temperature of the gas supply unit and/or a step of,using a controller, controlling power supplied to the exhaust unitand/or power supplied to one or more heaters within the assembly.

In accordance with additional embodiments of the disclosure, an assemblyincludes a gas supply unit; a gas curtain mounted on a gas supply unit,the gas curtain comprising a recessed portion comprising a plurality ofpins thereon; an insulator, comprising a plurality of holestherethrough, overlying the gas supply unit; and a shield cover,comprising a plurality of holes therethrough, overlying the insulator.The assembly can include additional components, such as an exhaust unitas described herein.

These and other embodiments will become readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art from the following detailed description of certainembodiments having reference to the attached figures; the invention notbeing limited to any particular embodiment(s) disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

A more complete understanding of exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure can be derived by referring to the detailed description andclaims when considered in connection with the following illustrativefigures.

FIG. 1 illustrates a gas-phase reactor of the prior art. FIG. 1(a)illustrates a cross-sectional view, taken along direction “A” of FIG.1(b). FIG. 1(b) illustrates a top view of a gas supply unit of thegas-phase reactor.

FIG. 2 illustrates an assembly in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a shield cover in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an insulator in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a gas curtain and a pin arrangement in accordancewith at least one embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates fluid flow through an assembly in accordance with atleast one embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates exemplary pin configurations in accordance withembodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates another view of an assembly in accordance withembodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exploded view of an assembly in accordance with atleast one embodiment of the disclosure.

It will be appreciated that elements in the figures are illustrated forsimplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. Forexample, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may beexaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding ofillustrated embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Although certain embodiments and examples are disclosed below, it willbe understood by those in the art that the invention extends beyond thespecifically disclosed embodiments and/or uses described herein andobvious modifications and equivalents thereof. Thus, it is intended thatthe scope of the invention disclosed should not be limited by theparticular disclosed embodiments described below.

The present disclosure generally relates to apparatus, assemblies, andsystems that include a gas supply unit and to methods of using same. Asset forth in more detail below, exemplary systems, assemblies,apparatus, and methods described herein can be used to more accuratelycontrol a temperature of, for example, a gas supply unit, an assemblyincluding the gas supply unit, a reaction chamber of a reactor includingthe assembly and/or various components of the assembly. The assembly canutilize fluid flow to more efficiently and more accurately control atemperature of the assemblies and components as described herein.

In this disclosure, “gas” can include material that is a gas at roomtemperature and pressure, a vaporized solid and/or a vaporized liquid,and may be constituted by a single gas or a mixture of gases, dependingon the context. A gas other than the process gas, i.e., a gas introducedwithout passing through a gas supply unit, such as a showerhead, othergas distribution device, or the like, may be used for, e.g., sealing thereaction space, and can include a seal gas, such as a rare gas. A gascan be a reactant or precursor that takes part in a reaction within areaction chamber and/or include ambient gas, such as air.

In this disclosure, “line” can refer to a conduit, such as a tube,through which gas flows. A line can include one or more valves,branches, or the like. Exemplary lines as described herein can be formedof stainless steel.

In this disclosure, any two numbers of a variable can constitute aworkable range of the variable as the workable range can be determinedbased on routine work, and any ranges indicated may include or excludethe endpoints. Additionally, any values of variables indicated(regardless of whether they are indicated with “about” or not) may referto precise values or approximate values and include equivalents, and mayrefer to average, median, representative, majority, etc. in someembodiments. Further, in this disclosure, the terms “constituted by,”“including,” “include,” and “having” refer independently to “typicallyor broadly comprising,” “comprising,” “consisting essentially of,” or“consisting of” in some embodiments. In this disclosure, any definedmeanings do not necessarily exclude ordinary and customary meanings insome embodiments.

Turning again to the figures, FIGS. 2, 6, 8 and 9 illustrate assembly200 and 800 in accordance with at least one embodiment of thedisclosure. FIG. 2(a) illustrates a cross sectional view of assembly200, FIG. 2(b) illustrate a perspective view of assembly 200, and FIG.2(c) illustrates fluid flow through assembly 200. Assembly 200 includesa gas supply unit 202 with a device 204 mounted thereon. In theillustrated example, device 204 includes a gas curtain 206, an insulator208, a shield cover 210, an exhaust unit 212, and a gas inlet 214.Assemblies 200 and 800 can be the same or similar, except for pinconfiguration on gas curtain 206/806, as described below. Unlessotherwise noted, gas curtain 206 can be replaced by gas curtain 806 andvice versa.

Gas inlet 214 receives gas from one or more gas sources fluidly coupledto gas inlet 214. Gas inlet 214 can be coupled to the gas sources usingone or more lines, which may include various flow meters, mass flowcontrollers, valves, and the like. Gas inlet 214 can include a firstportion 908 and a second portion 906 that is received by gas curtain206. Second portion 906 can include or be formed of non-conductivematerial.

Gas supply unit 202 can be or include a showerhead gas distributiondevice. Gas supply unit 202 can receive gas from gas inlet 214 through agas flow channel 216 formed between gas curtain 206 and gas supply unit202. Gas supply unit 202 can include a plurality of holes extendingbetween gas flow channel 216 and a reaction chamber to provide a desireddistribution of gas to the reaction chamber and/or a surface of asubstrate within the reaction chamber.

Gas curtain 206 is illustrated in greater detail in FIG. 5 , where FIG.5(a) illustrates a perspective view of gas curtain 206 and FIGS. 5(b)and 5(c) illustrate enlarged views of portions of gas curtain 206. Asillustrated, gas curtain 206 includes a recessed portion 502. Aplurality of pins 504 are arranged (e.g., mounted or integrallyformed—e.g., by machining—to form an integral structure) on recessedportion 502.

Pins 504 can be arranged in recessed portion 502 using a variety ofconfigurations. The type of pin arrangement can vary to, for example,increase the surface area contacting fluid, such as air, flowing ontogas curtain 206. That may improve heat exchange efficiency between pins504 and the fluid. According to one example, pins 504 are spaced fromabout 1 mm to about 10 mm or about 2 mm apart from each other. Unlessotherwise noted, other spacings are considered to be within the scope ofthis disclosure. For example, pins 504 can be spaced apart, so as to notdisrupt or slow the fluid flow passing between them, or so as to keepthe flow speed constant between pins. To keep the distance between pins504 constant, a width of pins 504 may be shorter in a direction towardthe center of gas curtain 206. For example, as shown in FIG. 5(b), a pinwidth a of a pin 504 located in outer portion is longer than a pin widthb of a pin 504 located in inner portion, that is, a>b. In accordancewith examples of the disclosure, a pin height “d” (FIG. 5(c)) is nothigher than a top surface 902 of the gas supply unit 202, so that theshield cover 210 can tightly cover the gas supply unit 202. By way ofparticular example, a can be 10.2 mm, b can be 3.5 mm, c can be 2 mm andd can be 20 mm.

In FIG. 5 , a whole area of the recessed portion 502 of the gas curtain206 is provided with pins 504. But in another embodiment, an area 802under exhaust unit 212 may not be provided with pins 504, as illustratedin FIGS. 8 and 9 . Not including pins in area 802 can facilitate smoothfluid flow to exhaust unit 212 by removing objects (namely, pins) thatmay otherwise interrupt smooth fluid flow near exhaust unit 212.

FIG. 7 illustrates exemplary pins 702, 704, and 706, suitable for use asone or more of pins 504, where FIG. 7(a) illustrates pin 702 shaped as arectangular prism, FIG. 7(b) illustrates pin 704 in the shape of acylinder, and FIG. 7(c) illustrates pin 706 in the form of a rectangularprism with a hollow section 708. Hollow section 708 can increase a pinsurface area in contact with the convecting fluid. Other pin shapes andpin configurations are contemplated by this disclosure. A desireddensity of pin population and a desired distribution can vary accordingto application and can be determined experimentally.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 , gas curtain 206 can also include a hole 506.Hole 506 can be configured to receive a portion of gas inlet 214.

Gas curtain 206 can be mounted on gas supply unit 202—e.g., mechanicallycoupled to gas supply unit 202—e.g., using fasters or by welding.Alternatively, gas curtain 206 can be a part of a gas supply unit202—e.g., integrated with gas supply unit 202.

Insulator 208, illustrated in greater detail in FIG. 4 , is formed ofnon-conducting material, such as one or more ceramics, such as Al₂O₃. Asillustrated, insulator 208 can include a plurality of through holes 402.The plurality of through holes 402 can be provided through insulator 208in a lateral direction. Additionally, through holes 402 can be spaced atregular intervals through insulator 208. Insulator 208 can be about 10to 15 mm in thickness. A cross-sectional dimension, such as a diameter,of the through holes can range from about 1 mm to about 12 mm or about 5mm to about 10 mm or be about 7 mm. As illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 9, through holes 402 connect recessed portion 502 of the gas curtain 206with an outer space of a reactor in a lateral direction, and act as apathway to flow fluid into recessed portion 502 of gas curtain 206.

As best illustrated in FIG. 9 , insulator 208 is disposed between gascurtain 206/806 and shield cover 210. Insulator 208 prevents ormitigates RF power from leaking from the gas supply unit 202, which actsas an electrode, to the shield cover 210 and/or gas inlet 214.

Shield cover 210 is best illustrated in FIG. 3 , where FIG. 3(a)illustrates a perspective view, FIG. 3(b) illustrates a top view, andFIG. 3(c) illustrates a side view of shield cover 210. Shield cover 210may be selectively attached to assembly 200 and detached from assembly200. Shield cover 210 can be formed of or include a conducting—e.g.,metal-containing material. For example, shield cover 210 may includealuminum (Al). Shield cover 210 is configured to shield RF power or tomitigate or to prevent the diffusion of RF power to the atmosphere.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 , shield cover 210 includes a plurality ofholes 302 through a top surface 312 and a plurality of holes 304 throughone or more (e.g., all) side surfaces 306. Holes 302, 304 may beconfigured in a variety of shapes to allow fluid to pass efficientlythrough shield cover 210, while still mitigating or preventing RFradiation leakage. For example, holes 302, 304 may be mesh-shaped, asillustrated in FIG. 3 . The hole size and shape may be configured not todegrade the RF shielding efficiency of the shield cover 210. Forexample, the hole 302,304 (e.g., a cross-sectional dimension of thehole) may be less than 5 mm in size, more preferably less than 3 mm insize.

Shield cover 210 also includes an exhaust port 308 that couples to anexhaust unit 212, described in more detail below. Shield cover 210 alsoincludes an opening 310 to receive second portion 906 of gas inlet 214.

Exhaust unit 212 can include any suitable device for causing fluid tomove. By way of examples, exhaust unit 212 can include a variable-speedfan. Exhaust unit 212 (e.g., a fan) may have a driving motor that isconnected to an electric power source (not shown). Exhaust unit 212 canbe coupled to a controller, which, in turn, can be coupled to one ormore temperature sensors within assembly 200 and/or a reactor includingassembly 200. The controller can be used to vary power supplied toexhaust unit 212 and/or heaters within assembly 200 to thereby furthercontrol a temperature of assembly 200, parts thereof, and/or thereactor.

Assembly 200 can also include an insulator 218 provided over shieldcover 210. Insulator 218 can be provided for safety—e.g., to protectworkers from the hot surface of the shield cover 210.

Exhaust unit 212 can be provided to the one side of shield cover 210.One side of the fan may be connected (e.g., using a duct 904, which canform part of exhaust unit 212) to the exhaust port 308 of the shieldcover 210 and fluid in recessed portion 502 of the gas curtain 206 canbe exhausted through exhaust port 308 to exhaust unit 212. Exhaust unit212 generates a pressure difference between outside space and a recessedportion 502 of the gas curtain 206, so as to improve a heat exchange,suck and exhaust fluid in recessed portion 502 of gas curtain 206. Anexhaust speed of the fluid can be controlled by controlling a rotatingspeed of exhaust unit 212. The rotating speed of exhaust unit 212 candetermine the influx speed and amount of the fluid flowing into therecessed portion 502 of gas curtain 206 and the exhaust speed therefrom,so that a temperature of the gas supply unit 202, assembly 200, and/orother components thereof may be controlled more precisely.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2-5 and 9 , gas curtain 206, insulator 208 andshield cover 210 define a flow channel within assembly 200. That is, gascurtain 206 defines a bottom side and a part of side wall of the flowchannel, insulator 208 defines a part of side wall of the flow channeland shield cover 210 defines a top side of the flow channel.

FIG. 2(c) and FIG. 6 schematically illustrate flow of fluid into and outof assembly 200. As illustrated, fluid can be supplied onto the gascurtain 206 in a vertical direction and in a lateral directionsimultaneously, and the fluid can be exhausted through exhaust unit 212.

In more detail, the fluid can flow through holes 302 and 304 of shieldcover 210. The fluid can then flow through holes 402 of insulator 208into the recessed portion 502 of the gas curtain 206. That is, fluid canbe supplied to the gas curtain 206 not only in a vertical directionthrough holes 302 formed on top surface 312 of shield cover 210, butalso in a lateral direction through holes 304 formed on side surface 306of the shield cover 210 and through holes 402 of the insulator 208 tosupply fluid into the recessed portion 502 of the gas curtain 206 toincrease heat exchange between the fluid and, for example, pins 504.

Table 1 below shows the temperature control over a gas supply unit, suchas gas supply unit 202, at a high temperature of about 550° C., comparedto a more traditional gas supply unit, such as gas supply unit 102. Thedata show that in the existing system (e.g., assembly 100) thetemperature of the gas supply unit is above the set temperature, but ina system according to this disclosure, the temperature is appropriatelycontrolled to meet the set/desired temperature.

TABLE 1 comparison of temperature control over the gas supply unit. Settemp, of Before After SHD (° C.) Process temp (° C.) 550 550 220Showerhead temp (° C.) 225.4 220 Showerhead heater power (%) 0% 45-48%

For the data in Table 1, the test was carried out at a processtemperature of 550° C. and the set temperature of the gas supply unit,e.g., showerhead, was 220° C. When an assembly according to thedisclosure is not employed, a temperature of the gas supply unit (e.g.,showerhead) is kept above the set temperature, though no electric poweris provided to the (e.g., cartridge) heaters (showerhead heaters)inserted within the gas supply unit. But, when an assembly according tothis disclosure is employed, the temperature of the gas supply unit iskept properly at the set temperature of 220° C., and just about 45%percent of electric power is provided to the heaters, which means thereis enough room to control the temperature of the gas supply unit. Forexample, the temperature of the gas supply unit may be further loweredto or below 200° C.

As noted above, assembly 200 can form part of a reactor. The reactor caninclude any suitable gas-phase reactor. By way of examples, the reactorcan be configured as a chemical vapor deposition reactor, an atomiclayer deposition reactor, an etch reactor, a clean reactor, an epitaxialreactor, or the like. In some cases, the reactor can include a directplasma configuration and/or a gas-phase reactor system can include aremote plasma unit coupled to the reactor.

The assembly, reactor, and components thereof as described hereininclude technical features and advantages over the existing art. Someexamples are provided below.

-   -   A temperature of gas supply unit can be kept constant at set        temperature at high temperature (e.g., greater than 400° C.,        greater than 500° C., or between about 400 and 600° C., or        between about 450 and 550° C.) process and this makes a process        stable. For example, an assembly as described herein can        maintain a temperature of a gas supply unit at 220° C. or below        200° C. at a process temperature of 500° C. or more.    -   An assembly according to this disclosure makes a temperature        control more effective and efficient compared to a typical gas        supply unit by providing pins to a recessed portion of a gas        curtain to increase a surface area of the assembly in contact        with a convecting fluid. This design improves heat exchange        efficiency between the gas curtain and the fluid.    -   An assembly according to this disclosure can make temperature        control more effective and efficient compared to a typical        assembly by introducing fluid influx holes to the top side and        the side wall of a shield cover. This design increases the hole        density and the influx rate of the fluid.    -   An assembly according to this disclosure can make a temperature        control more effective and efficient over a typical assembly by        introducing an insulator between a gas curtain and a shield        cover. A plurality of holes is provided through the insulator        body in a lateral direction, and an inner space and an outer        space of the gas curtain are communicated with each other        through the through holes. Fluid can be supplied to the pins        arranged in the recessed portion of the gas curtain through        holes on the side wall of the shield cover and through the        through-holes formed within the insulator.    -   An assembly according to this disclosure can make temperature        control more effective and efficient compared to a typical        assembly by introducing a fan to the shield cover. The fan        exhausts fluid in the gas curtain and facilitates fast heat        exchange between a gas curtain and a convecting fluid.

The example embodiments of the disclosure described above do not limitthe scope of the invention, since these embodiments are merely examplesof the embodiments of the invention. Any equivalent embodiments areintended to be within the scope of this invention. Indeed, variousmodifications of the disclosure, in addition to those shown anddescribed herein, such as alternative useful combinations of theelements described, may become apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe description. Such modifications and embodiments are also intended tofall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of controlling a temperature of anassembly of a gas-phase reactor, the method comprising the steps of:providing the assembly comprising: a gas supply unit; a gas curtainmounted on the gas supply unit, wherein the gas curtain comprises arecessed portion and a plurality of pins arranged on the recessedportion; an insulator overlying the gas supply unit; a shield coveroverlying the insulator; and an exhaust unit connected to a part of theshield cover; and causing a fluid to move over a surface of the gascurtain.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step ofmeasuring a temperature of the gas supply unit.
 3. The method of claim1, further comprising a step of, using a controller, controlling powersupplied to the exhaust unit.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein theexhaust unit comprises a variable-speed fan.
 5. The method of claim 2,further comprising a step of, using a controller, controlling powersupplied to the exhaust unit.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising a step of causing the fluid to exhaust through the exhaustunit.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality ofpins is column shaped or cylinder shaped.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein at least one of the plurality of pins comprises a hollow space.9. The method of claim 1, wherein a height of each of the plurality ofpins does not extend beyond a top surface of the gas supply unit. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein a spacing between the plurality of pinsis substantially constant in a direction from a center of the recessedportion to a periphery of the recessed portion.
 11. The method of claim1, wherein a surface of the gas curtain near the exhaust unit does notcomprise pins.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the shield covercomprises a plurality of holes in a vertical direction, a plurality ofholes in a lateral direction, or both.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein a cross-sectional dimension of at least one of plurality ofholes is less than 5 mm in size.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein across-sectional dimension of at least one of plurality of through holesis less than 3 mm in size.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the gassupply unit and the gas curtain form an integral structure.
 16. A methodof controlling a temperature of an assembly of a gas-phase reactor, themethod comprising the steps of: providing the assembly comprising: a gassupply unit; a gas curtain mounted on the gas supply unit; an insulatoroverlying the gas supply unit, wherein the insulator is formed of anon-conducting material and comprises a plurality of through holes in alateral direction; a shield cover overlying the insulator; and causingfluid to move over a surface of the gas curtain.
 17. The method of claim16, wherein the assembly further comprises an exhaust unit connected toa part of the shield cover.
 18. A method of controlling a temperature ofan assembly of a gas-phase reactor, the method comprising the steps of:providing the assembly comprising: a gas supply unit; a gas curtainmounted on the gas supply unit; an insulator overlying the gas supplyunit; a shield cover overlying the insulator; an exhaust unit connectedto a part of the shield cover; and wherein the insulator is formed of anon-conducting material and comprises a plurality of through holes in alateral direction; and causing fluid to move over a surface of the gascurtain.